2 Banknotes from the Theresienstadt Ghetto, with Values of 50 and 100 Koruna, Rated PMG 65-66

2 Banknotes from the Theresienstadt Ghetto, with Values of 50 and 100 Koruna, Rated PMG 65-66
* Banknote with a value of 50 koruna from the Terezín ghetto, rated PMG 66.
* Banknote with a value of 100 koruna from the Terezín ghetto, rated PMG 65.
The first camp in which the Nazis issued banknotes for the Jews' internal use was the Oranienburg-Sachenhausen camp, located close to Berlin. Each prisoner in the camps, and later, all the ghetto residents, were required to exchange their money and some of their property for the banknotes of the camp or ghetto in which they were imprisoned. The owners of these banknotes were not allowed to purchase goods with the local currency outside of the ghetto boundaries, as it was only valid within the ghetto. The Nazis' goal in doing this was that in case prisoners succeeded in escaping the camps, they would not have the means with which to buy food nor clothing, which made escape plans very difficult. This was also the reason the banknotes bore a distinctly Jewish character. The Theresienstadt ghetto banknotes bore a printed Star of David and an illustration of Moshe Rabbeinu holding the Decalogue in his hands. The reason the banknotes were issued in koruna [Czech currency] and not in German marks was due to the geographic location of Terezín in Czechoslovakia (most of which was occupied by the Nazis before the outbreak of WWII), with the value of the Czech currency. The banknotes of higher values were not usually of any use, as purchase of expensive goods was out of the question inside the ghetto. The Nazis issued these banknotes of higher values so that the "Jewish economy" would have the appearance of a regular, flourishing economy, giving an impression of the "normalcy" of regular orderly daily life, as the Nazis put much effort into presenting to the official Red Cross representatives who visited the ghetto.